Aston Martin DB5
The iconic Aston Martin DB5, released in 1963, is a luxury grand tourer that was made by Aston Martin. It was a slight upgrade from the DB4 which preceded it. The DB5 is most famous for being the third but most recognised James Bond car. The vehicle first appeared in 1964's Goldfinger and went on to appear in Thunderball, GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, Casino Royale, Skyfall and Spectre. Overview The principal differences between the DB4 Series V and the DB5 are: The all-aluminium engine was enlarged from 3.7 L to 4.0 L, A new robust ZF five-speed transmission (except for some of the very first DB5s) and three SU carburettors Producing 282 bhp (210 kW), which propelled the car to 145 mph (233 km/h), this engine, available on the Vantage (high powered) version of the DB4 since March 1962, became the standard Aston Martin power unit with the launch in September 1963 of the DB5. Standard equipment on the DB5 included reclining seats, wool pile carpets, electric windows, twin fuel tanks, chrome wire wheels, oil cooler, magnesium-alloy body built to superleggera patent technique, full leather trim in the cabin and even a fire extinguisher. All models have two doors and are of a 2+2 configuration. A three-speed Borg-Warner DG automatic transmission was available as well. At the beginning, the original four-speed manual (with optional overdrive) was standard fitment, but it was soon dropped in favour of the ZF five-speed. The automatic option was then changed to the Borg-Warner Model 8 shortly before the DB6 replaced the DB5. James Bond's DB5 Sean Connery Era The Aston Martin DB5 is the most famous Aston Martin car due to its use by James Bond in Goldfinger (1964). Although Ian Fleming had placed Bond in a DB Mark III in the novel, the DB5 was the company's newest model when the film was being made. The company was initially reluctant, but were finally convinced to a product placement deal. The car used in the film was the original DB5 prototype, with another standard car used for stunts. Two more modified cars were built for publicity tours after the film's release. In January 2006, one of those cars was auctioned for more than $2 million. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4633986.stm Famous for its array of gadgets, the film's script initially had the car armed only with smoke screen. However, the gadgets rapidly increased as crew members began suggesting devices to install in it. For instance, director Guy Hamilton conceived the revolving license plate because he had been getting lots of parking tickets, while his stepson suggested the ejector seat (which he saw on television). Some further changes were made during production; including the replacement of a caltrop-dropping gadget (located behind the rear light cluster) with an oil dispenser because the producers thought the original could be easily copied by viewers. Production designer Ken Adam and engineer John Stears overhauled the prototype Aston Martin DB5 coupe, installing these and other features into the car over six weeks. Only two of the gadgets were not actually installed in the vehicle: the wheel-destroying blades, inspired by Ben-Hur's scythed chariots (entirely made on studio); and the ejector seat. The scene where the DB5 crashes was filmed twice, with the second take being used in the film. The first take, in which the car drives right through the fake wall, can be seen in the film's trailer. Within the universe of James Bond, the same car was used again in the following film, Thunderball (Reg: BMT 216A), where it was equipped with two rear-facing water cannons for Bond's escape from Colonel Jacques Bouvar's château. The effect was achieved using two fire hoses mounted under the vehicle, the hose pipes clearly visible in some shots. Pierce Brosnan Era After a long absence from the series, the Aston Martin DB5 reappeared in 1995's GoldenEye, sporting a new numberplate (Reg: BMT 214A) . Although its origins are not mentioned on screen, the novelization of GoldenEye states that Bond purchased this DB5 as his own personal vehicle. The car is fitted with an Alpine 7817R car radio that doubles as a printer and communication device, and a champagne cooler concealed under the centre arm rest. Three different DB5s were used for filming. The BMT 214A also returned in Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), and was set to make a cameo at Castle Thane in The World Is Not Enough (1999). Although the scene was cut, the outline of the Aston Martin can still be seen in the closing scenes of the film; as M and her staff attempt to locate Bond with a thermal-imaging satellite. In the video game 007 Racing, ''Bond drives the car during certain missions. It reappeared again during ''007 Agent Under Fire, ''when Bond uses the vehicle get a data chip on something known as "Poseidon" Daniel Craig Era Following the series' reboot in 2006, a further DB5 (Reg: 56526) made an appearance in ''Casino Royale, in which Bond wins villain Alex Dimitrios' Aston Martin in a game of poker. This one has Bahamian number plates and left-hand drive, whereas previous British versions had been right-hand drive. The Aston Martin DB5 (with the original registration BMT 216A) returned in 2012's Skyfall. Pursued by Raoul Silva, Bond proceeds to a London warehouse to swap the government car he had used in the rescuing of M with the Aston Martin DB5. The pair then travel to Bond's ancestral home, Skyfall Lodge, and use the vehicle's concealed weaponry to stage a defense of the building. The car is subsequently destroyed by heavy machine gun fire from a helicopter belonging to Silva - much to Bond's fury. To achieve the effect, replica mini-cars were used and destroyed. 3D printing techniques were used to create models a third of the size of the real DB5. It is never explained in the film how this incarnation of Bond could possibly have acquired the vehicle previously used by Sean Connery's 007, who, as of Casino Royale, is a totally separate character in an alternate continuity. It is possible that the car is simply the same one won by Bond in Casino Royale, subsequently modified to include the on-board weapons, and any similarity to the car from Goldfinger is merely an homage for the audience on the part of the film. In Spectre it is revealed that the remains of the car were recovered after being blown up in'' Skyfall and we see the vehicle in the Q-branch lab being worked on. Q then tells bond that it's taking longer to rebuild than expected because there wasn't much left to work on.("Barely a steering wheel.") Q also mocks Bond, telling him " I believe I said bring it back in one piece, not bring back one piece!". By the end of the film it was completely restored and rebuilt for Bond to use again. He then gets it from Q and drives of with Madeleine Swann. Gadgets Film Gadgets Promotional & Unused Gadgets Other appearances The DB5 also made cameo appearances in the comedy film, ''Cannonball Run, driven by Roger Moore's character, and in the TV-film The Return of the Man from UNCLE, George Lazenby, playing a Bond-like character referred to as "JB", drives a DB5 (with the licence plate "JB"). Consequently, Timothy Dalton is the only official Bond actor who has never driven one on screen, however scripts for his unmade third Bond film show a DB5 was planned to be used. The most recent appearance of the vehicle was in the 2004 film, The Life and Death of Peter Sellers in which Geoffrey Rush, playing Peter Sellers, is shown driving one at the time of making Casino Royale, even though in real life that film did not feature the vehicle. The car further made a appearance in the popular sandbox game GTA 5 (Grand Theft Auto 5) under the name 'JB700'. It in a mission of the story mode had spikes and a ejecting chair, as well as visible guns on the hood. It can be bought of legendary motor sports on both online and story mode but to many peoples dismay does not have the many gadgets of story or the one featured in the movies, Although they all are visible. Video game appearances The classic Aston Martin DB5 (Reg: BMT 216A) has also made appearances in the James Bond video-games 007 Racing (2000), Agent Under Fire (2001), From Russia With Love (2005), and Blood Stone ''(2008). In ''007 Racing ''it appeared in the first level of the game, featuring gadgets from the film ''Goldfinger. The DB5 promptly returned in 2001's Agent Under Fire, where 007 attempts to locate an incriminating data-chip ejected somewhere in Bucharest. Unlike its movie-counterpart, the Agent Under Fire vehicle was equipped with rockets and guided-missiles. For the video-game adaptation of From Russia with Love, the Aston Martin (although it is first introduced in Goldfinger) is shipped out to Istanbul by Q-Branch. In Blood Stone ''Bond drives an unarmed (and apparently not his own) DB5 during a chase sequence in Istanbul, in a bid to prevent the villain from passing on confidential documents. At the end of the pursuit the car is effectively written-off after crashing into a construction site. Images Sean Connery with 1964 Aston Martin DB5.jpg|Actor Sean Connery with the 1964 Aston Martin DB5 used in ''Goldfinger. Goldfinger - The DB5 in Q-Labs.jpg|The DB5 parked in the Q-Branch lab in Goldfinger. DB5 filming in GoldenEye.jpg|Filming the DB5 in GoldenEye. DB5_(Casino_Royale).png|The DB5 lives on in 2006's Casino Royale. DB5 in Blood Stone.jpg|The DB5 during an Istanbul cut-scene in Blood Stone. Skyfall_-_The_Classic_DB5_Returns.jpg|The Aston Martin DB5 (Reg: BMT 216A) makes a surprising return in Skyfall. 3D Printed DB5 - Skyfall.jpg|3D printed DB5 prop from Skyfall under construction. Trivia * The DB5 has the dubious honor of being the slowest car ever in the Top Gear Power Laps segment. * A character called "Finn McMissile" based on James Bond's spy car version appeared in the Disney/Pixar film Cars 2. References See also * List of James Bond vehicles * Corgi Toys James Bond DB5 __NOEDITSECTION__ Category:Vehicles Category:Aston Martin Category:Automobiles Category:Bond's automobiles Category:Q's veichles